tiller tree saddles

[Looper]

Can some of you fellers post some pics of the saddles on your tillering trees. I'm getting ready to build a new one and was wondering what some of you use. Would there be anything you'd change to your current setups?

[canopyboy]

I'm looking for a better way too. Post 'em up!

[Roy from Pa]

[John Scifres]

I'm a simple man with a simple saddle.  It's a block of wood lagged to the stud with rolled up piece of leather to simulate a hand.

 

[Walt Francis]

John, I like your setup, it is close to the one I use.  Have you had any problems with the rope wearing out on the pulley?  I exchanged the rope for metal cabel to get a longer life span out of them.

[mikkekeswick]

Google rock climbing accessory cord. It comes in many different diameters and will outlast that 'twine' many times over!

[John Scifres]

Sorry, premature POSTulation   )

[John Scifres]

Same rope for 10 years.  Still in good shape.  In fact, that tiller string in the pic is probably 10 years old too.  But I rarely have to tiller for long anymore.  My goal is to get the bow really close before it gets to the tree.  I also don't make nearly as many bows as I used to and I exercise the bow by hand instead of on the tree.  Keeps me in shape    

I am too simple for all these bionic tiller trees I have seen pop up lately.  Making wooden bows is simple.  I understand the compulsion to use them for plywood bows though.

[Onehair]

I broke a rope a month back,also the bow that was in the final stages of tiller perfection. Rope is cheap

[fujimo]

All I can say is that after shooting Roy's bow that came off his tillering tree! it shoots noticeably beautifully. Dead in the hand, and for some reason, just very accurate.
So i am sold on his and bow junkies tree design. A convert, as it where!!!

[Roy from Pa]

We all have our own way of building bows, and we should respect that in a fellow bowyer. We all have certain likes and dislikes. I admire the craftsman ship of selfbow guys, making a bow from a single piece of wood. I look on in total disbelief at the beautiful glass bows with totally fantastic risers and limbs that some guys make. I just shake my head at how awesome they are. Yet, I have no desire to make a selfbow or a fancy recurve. I like my plywood bows. And I know they will smoke any selfbow out there, in all the categories of shooting. But that doesn't really matter, does it?  Tillering trees, well that again is up to the bowyer. Tillering for a positive tiller or tillering for equal limb timing is up to the bowyer. It's an endless journey, and once I lose the desire to make bows, I will quit making bows. But I can't see that happening soon.. The best bow I ever made, which was the last bow I made a few months ago, is now up there in British Columbia on fujimo's special bow rack, along with a Kennym bow and a Little Ben bow. Dammit Wayne, send that SOB back son.. LOL

But the secret for a great shooting bow, is tillering for equal limb timing... Forget that positive tiller stuff... Set your tree up to replicate your bow hand grip and affix the pull rope on the tillering string where you will be pulling the string when shooting the bow...

[fujimo]

makes sense- even too a slow fella like me.
the proof is in the pudding- i can  feel the difference.
oh an' i haint sending no bow nowhere- i know gold when its in ma hand!!!
 its gonna put meat on the table this year for sure!!- season opens 1st june!!!!  

[mikkekeswick]

Roy +1
Well apart from the bit about them smoking 'any selfbow'! I've had just on 200fps @ 8.5gpp with a self recurve. Although I definitely agree that a lam bow SHOULD be able to be faster than a selfbow.

[John Scifres]

No disrespect intended.  I just think too many newbs are spending too much time learning how to build tiller trees instead of learning how to build bows.  

I understand the compulsion.  It's a form of belief in the technical or the technological.  That if we measure enough, or tinker enough, or design enough that we will make good bows.  But that is only complicating a simple process in an effort to make it easy.

I'm getting more and more old-school the older I get.  And I want people to fall in love with making bows.  Most folks want to make a serviceable bow the quickest way possible.  Or they want to fart around with the engineering aspects.  Or they want to gather the best tools they can tell their friends about.

But almost all the folks I have seen come and go over the years have left once they make that serviceable bow.  Or get bored with the technology.  There are some awesome tiller trees, and bending cauls, and string making jigs, and Nicholson #49s gathering dust.

There are no short cuts to becoming a bowyer.  The only way to do it is to make bows.  Lots of bows.

[WESTBROOK]

I'll argue for both sides on this. I'm getting ready to build my first bow...of any kind. A simple hickory backed osage bow. Why that? cause its simple,I dont want to have to worry about too many things along the way and will be focusing on learning to tiller and time a bow.

A tiller tree that simulates the forces that will be put on a bow when shooting seems like common sense. 1/4" positive at brace height tells you nothing of what the bow is doing 1, 10 or 20" beyond brace height. Why would you draw a bow differently during tillering than you would when shooting it? why tiller it at all then.

Your right John, there are no shortcuts. I dont expect my first bow to be my best work, but if nothing else it will be tillered properly and should shoot well for what it is. At the price of staves/lumber I would like as early a payback as I can get. I know a guy that sells firewood and its cheaper to burn that than bow wood.

John, Roy, Fuji, bowjunkie and Pat B.  and others, Thanks for for all the info you have put up here over the years.

I always liked Mickey lotz's line, "good wood makes better bows but the crappy wood makes better bowyers"

[Bowjunkie]

Westbrook, you will do well. Question everything, learn, apply, and try to make each one a little better than the last. Bowmaking, or bows, don't have to be complicated. In fact, there's much about dynamically balancing bows that makes the whole process easier, not harder.

I have a simple hickory backed osage bow started too.

[takefive]

Food for thought on here as usual.  Just occurred to me that I probably spend more time on here reading about bow making than actual bow making lately.  Going to try the opposite for awhile.

That's a great wood combo, Westbrook.  Good luck with it!  

[WESTBROOK]

Jeff, Greg..thanks, really looking forward to finally getting started!

[Roy from Pa]

Eric, you will do well. Start a journal and document every bow build. Note things you might do different on the next build. Note things you won't do on the next build. Each and every bow you build will keep getting better and better. But most of all, have fun. Be sure to start a thread and post pictures of your progress.